Takin' my Country Back

I'm with Cindy Sheehan and those at Camp Casey, and those in Salt Lake City, Utah, yesterday in claiming the moral high ground for peace. Thom Hartmann's been playing this song written by David Kent (which could be this year's anthem, together with Steve Earle's The Revolution Starts Now (played down in Camp Casey and also in my Peaceward iPod playlist) called Takin' My Country Back, which googling I found at
http://www.1010kxxt.com/audio/takinmycountryback.mp3. (The singer I understand to be a Nashville session vocalist named Tony Stampley.) So much to do, but listening to that song, along with Truthout.org's great coverage of Camp Casey and also Amy Goodman's two shows focusing on it -- Friday, August 19 and Monday, August 22 -- check out Democracy NOW!. Meanwhile, Bush keeps trying to gain support while I wear the button, He's NOT my President.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Laundry for Peace

LOL but it is true -- one must get that housework done. I've just cleaned out several hundred emails (You wondered why I hadn't replied to you, heh?) and now I have to do some OTHER cleaning. I've got a peace vigil at noon and an anti-war brunch tomorrow BUT laundry beckons, too, and IT contributes to the well-being of my soul. Clean laundry smells sooooo good. A freshly made bed creates beautiful dreams and promotes healing and a happier tomorrow.

I was pleased to hear from Colleen Primrose, my Cindy Sheehan vigil friend. We are both doing what we can to make the world a peaceful more loving place. No doubt, my clean laundry will assist me. Blessings and clean laundry to YOU!

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

One Mother's Stand - Support Cindy Sheehan

I've been up since four AM for two good causes: peace and fair and safer elections.

First I checked out Truthout.org's wonderful page on Cindy Sheehan and her great presence at Crawford Texas, near Bush's ranch. This comes after last night's America Stands with Cindy candlelight vigil where I stood with Colleen Primrose, Thomas Gallagher, and Theresa from Sunnyside Woodside Peace and hundreds of others. I used two bright pink folders to mount the http://meetwithcindy.org sign: America Stands with Cindy and on the reverse of one I had:

TOO MUCH
BLOOD
shed for
NO "noble cause"

Colleen (in her Code Pink garb) and I stood with our candles in front of NBC, across from Rockefeller Plaza, each of us holding the pink signs and sometimes breaking the silent vigil with song. It was meaningful -- we could feel the energy as we stood with hundreds and we united in spirit with all of the other 1500+ vigils. Wow!

So I followed up last night's Cindy/Camp Casey support vigil with watching all sorts of the Truthout videos -- I will comment on them later, but do especially check out the press conferences and the rally. Cindy is remarkable in her humble moving loving message: No more lies, no more bloodshed. There was no 'noble cause' -- bring our troops home now.

THEN about 5:30 AM or so I turned to Mark Crispin Miller and his "None Dare Call it Stolen" article in this August's Harper's Magazine. I wrote about it AND Teresa Hommel's http://wheresthepaper.org work for fair and safe elections, specifically to WQIDC members and friends to contact our councilmembers to get them to endorse Paper Ballots with Precinct Counted Optical Scanners. I combine these two issues and hopefully will "release" a listserv message to our WQIDC yahoo group later today, after several WQIDC exec board members review my draft. This piece will be available online then at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WQIDC -- check it out soon.

But NOW I have to go to work and I wish I had had more sleep. Still BOTH Peace and Elections are SOOOOO important. (God, please give me some energy!!)

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Rain -- please!

Dubya Bush down at his Texas pig farm -- no, wait a minute, he's converted it into a pseudo ranch -- is being beseiged by Cindy Sheehan and is not likely paying any attention to global warming. If there is a dollar to be made, Dubya says, "What me worry?" Meanwhile, there were but a few drops of rain last night in Sunnyside, Queens, which means I should go out and water my poor little impatiens before they shrink into non-existence. So, Dubya, along with the answer to "What is the noble cause that Casey Sheehan and others have died for in Iraq?", I want a better Energy Bill then you gave us. I want one that addresses our need for alternate energy sources and better fuel economy -- not one that gives big profitting energy companies even more of our tax $$$ while the shrinking middle class sweats to eke out a living. More immediately, I want RAIN.

Rain can hold off, however, until after our Union Square peace vigil (every Saturday from noon to two pm -- by the Lincoln statue, north side of NYC's Union Square Park). We are asking for more people to sign the Investigate the Torture petition. While I was in Vermont dallying around and enjoying all that wonderful greenery -- indeed refreshing my soul -- Sam and Betty Lou were gathering more signatures. We'll be collecting them for another month but anyone can sign and/or download the petition to gather more signatures by using that link. Let's rain on BUSH'S reign of terror and torture. (The Pentagon is defying the Federal judge's order to release the rest of the Abu Graib pictures -- since when did the military take over?) We've got to get to the bottom of this. Rain, yes; global warming, no; torture, absolutely not.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Friday morning malaise

Well, it isn't malaise. I just am not being the activist this hot summer morning. I'm off to work shortly and still am reading blogs. Thanks to Linda Young, whose blog and site I have found after a google search on crooner Russ Columbo, I have discovered a new game, Bookworm. Ouch -- what a time waster but great for a word-aholic like me. Find it at http://www.popcap.com/ -- but don't get hooked. It might be too late for me. I got 97,660 points on my second game.

Meanwhile Cindy Sheehan is being activist enough for the two of us -- and way too much for Bush. She's got the perfect response. Bush feels her pain but refuses to answer her question. What is the noble cause worth her son dying? If more mothers asked that there would be a lot fewer wars. God bless Casey's mom Cindy.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Blinking and choosing

Home from several days in Vermont, I discovered my telephone message machine blinking "2". That was two days ago and I still haven't played the messages. Hmmmmm. Well, I think I know who they are. And I came in late Monday night after visiting with my cousin Pat, his wife Beth, and their son Evan, here from Ohio. I was in no mood for messages then and couldn't return any calls at that hour anyway. Besides, one was probably Pat trying to reach me. THEN, I was here all day Tuesday -- and never thought of it. Wednesday, I was rushing out the door to work and the machine blinked again "2" "2" "2" . Whoops! No time to listen.

Now it is Thursday morning and I've watered the garden, fed the cats, and mopped the kitchen floor. I've downloaded stuff for the iPod and should really wash my hair quickly and leave for work? What about the "2"? One is likely a friend who regularly calls. If it were an emergency, folks would call again. But I must get 2 it one of these days -- soon.

One thing I DID get 2 was contacting my senators and congressmembers about their supporting Cindy Sheehan, Iraq victim Casey Sheehan's mother, in her effort to meet with George W. Bush to ask him what is the "noble cause" for which her son died. We're all waiting for that answer. I also called the White House yesterday with the same question and the request that George respond to Cindy so she can explain it to us all. On Tuesday I had contacted NBC asking them to cover the story of Cindy's encampment ouside of George's ranch. Cindy represents Gold Star Families for Peace, but in truth, she represents all of us questing the immoral invasion and occupation of Iraq. I signed the petition at Cindy's special site, http://www.meetwithcindy.org/ -- and asked WQIDC to follow suit. But I should remind the NYFOR folk AND I must get to the voting machine notes. The question remains, what 2 do first. I suspect it is not listening to those 2 messages.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Good news on a dark day

My beautiful loving Kat came through with some great news on a day which otherwise had me questioning my parenting skills. Kat is a manager of an apartment complex which is owned by a group with such complexes in a number of states. They recently had their different complexes anonymously shopped 3 times each by an independent company to rate their sales and hospitality skills. Kat won the overall prize for #1 AND also a #1 in one of the three categories in which they were tested ("touring"). My daughter is a friendly charming and skilled saleswoman who deserves her prize a trip to Las Vegas as well as her other prize, a one night on the town in Cleveland (includes dinner, hotel and Rock Hall of Fame). More importantly, she has gotten some of the recognition she deserves. Who knows, her company may have her use some of her teaching skills to show others how it is done.... Lots of possibilities here but I know her grandfather Francis, a salesman, would be proud as well as her great-grandfather Kenneth, an insurance salesman. My sweet daughter knows how to make people feel at home -- that's a sure way to sell apartments.

Thank you, God, for a beautiful beam of sunlight: Kat and her good news.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Shock, sick, and facing disappointment

My son has me shocked and sick at heart. How disappointed I will be, remains to be seen but he is being courted to run for office by the Dead Eaters, errr, Republicans. I know I shouldn't have but I had to add something negative to his posting at Audient Files, which is well written -- and I know that there are a few decent Republicans left, damn few, but I would hate to see him align himself politically with them. (That doesn't mean I love the Democrats, they too, have betrayed the Middle Class and the working families and I am proud to be an Independent Democrat who votes across party lines. But this is what I wrote:

Run as a Repugnant? You know how I feel. The Republicans led us by lies into an illegal war on people who did nothing to us (until we did it to them). This war, indeed an invasion, has cost thousands of American lives and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives and has made our world less safe.

They have stolen at least two major elections with voter suppression and election fraud. Most have little or no integrity. They are destroying our environment and give tax breaks to millionaires while the middle class sinks into poverty. Seniors eat cheap, some even dog food, so they can pay for their medicine sold at inflated prices thanks to deals championed by Republicans to aid their pharmaceutical company campaign contributors.

I have respect for few Republicans. What more can I say? Remember when I wouldn't take a million dollars to vote for Reagan? It wasn't for real but I wouldn't have and couldn't have. (His people made deals with Iran to cause Carter to lose and then had the audacity to let Iran release the American hostages immediately upon his "coronation" and he followed through and sold arms and technology to Iran. His Alzheimers prevented his being prosecuted.) I say too much but I know too much. And I feel like you are being courted by the Dead Eaters. Don't sell yourself cheap.

Time will tell what he decides. And, yes, I know that children, once grown, must be allowed to lead their own lives. It has to be his decision. But if he decides to run/become a Republican, I will feel like my son has joined with Darth Vader or Voldamort. Disappointed would be too weak of a word. I truly hope and pray that he remembers, and does not betray, his roots.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

A novel weekend

Novel, indeed: A visit with Michael Dylan and Jamie (Saturday -- at Bliss), a celebration of two Joans' birthdays (Sunday -- at Donato's), and I finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! I also had several hours down at Union Square for the weekly Saturday peace vigil there (See Kate Anne for Peace, Justice and Nonviolence for more on the vigil -- details and a heartening story.) Of course, I didn't get nearly enough done -- but when do I? I want to do so much. Seeing my son and meeting his friend Jamie, who lives just a short hike from my home was great -- but reminds me that I want/need to see my daughter Katerina. (Kater -- we have to play "Kats together!") Joan P and I invited Joan D to dine out with Joan P's son Ron -- last minute Diane was able to join us. Donato's is not Bliss but it was good to be with friends.

One thing this morning I did spur of the moment -- besides update my iPod -- was place some of my stamps in acid free sleeves. My Uncle John is a real collector, but I don't want my Celebrate the Century stamps to rot away in their non-archival cardboard wrapping. And Audrey, Cary and Marilyn are looking happier as is Thurgood and various wildlike critters. (There is some rhyme and reason to my collection, but not a lot.)

So Harry has already gone to visit Joan P -- and I have to wait until J.K. Rowling finishes Book #7. There's lots of other stuff to read -- too much really. And I'd rather just sit on my back porch and take the day off and have fun. I'm not in the mood to go to work, but I must depart soon. (And, no, I didn't figure out the last book right: argh! But it was such fun, who cares?)